New York Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz filed a brief in U.S. District Court in Utica asking for the Interstate Commerce Commission to restore the famed Phoebe Snow line, of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, to service and the return of passenger service between Port Jervis and Binghamton, New York.
(read more)

Joseph Watley was heading to his home in Connecticut when a Pennsylvania state trooper pulled him over near the Blooming Grove exit on Interstate 84 in Pike County for allegedly driving 48 mph in a 65 mph zone.
(read more)

Article Tools

PITTSTON TWP. - A new set of bridges being posted and closed over the next six months and acceleration of the region's already rapidly deteriorating roads were among fears local transportation officials expressed Tuesday.

The concerns and disappointment aired at Tuesday's Focus 81 Committee meeting were in response to the state Legislature's failure to agree on a transportation bill before the end of the session.

A Times-Tribune analysis recently found Gov. Tom Corbett's bill, which was favored by the Assembly, would bring an additional $988 million in road and bridge funding to PennDOT's District 4 over the next 10 years.

The state Senate's version of the bill would raise another $277.46 million on top of the Mr. Corbett's proposal for Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming and Pike counties over the same period.

"For now, we're going to have to go forward with much of our planning without knowing," said Tom Lawson, co-chairman of the committee. "We have to. We just don't know. So what level of funding we're going to have to work with, I think for now we have to assume status quo."

PennDOT District 4 Director George Roberts said a viaduct project along Interstate 95 in the Philadelphia area will demand significant state resources - up to $8 billion.

Locally, revenue from gas taxes is down because cars are becoming more fuel-efficient. Mr. Roberts said the motor license fund allocation for Luzerne County has dropped nearly 10 percent.

In rural areas, such as Pike and Wyoming counties, he said, "We have a hard time just paving one mile of road every year."

Mr. Lawson said it may be more difficult for state lawmakers to agree on a bill this fall because legislators will be in an election season.

"As we push it down the road, it's just going to get so much more expensive," Mr. Lawson told several representatives from the area's legislative delegation.

He also worried about increased traffic accidents from people swerving to avoid potholes.

State lawmakers are aware of Pennsylvania's infrastructure needs, but "complexities within the House" stymied an agreement, said Steve Armillay, the director of district operators for Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-114, Taylor.

There continues to be disagreement about "where the money is going to come from," said Thom Welby, chief of staff for state Rep. Marty Fl­ynn, D-113, Scranton.

Mr. Flynn told The Times-Tribune last week he does not support funding the bill with a tax that could indirectly raise gas prices up to 28.5 cents per gallon by the fifth year of the bill. Instead, he prefers taxing natural gas drillers and closing a tax loophole of which businesses take advantage to technically base their operations in Delaware.

Contact the writer: kwind@timesshamrock.com, @kwindTT on Twitter

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.